USA – “One on one” with Amare Stoudemire

LAS VEGAS (FIBA Americas Championship 2007) – As part of a group full of stars, he’s used to go unnoticed. In spite of that, he still is a big player within Team USA. He scored 7 points against Puerto Rico, helping his team winning a spot at the 2008 Olympic Games. He sits down with us to discuss the game and the final against Argentina.

How did you face the game against Puerto Rico?

We proponed ourselves to go out there and be aggressive on our defense, the same way we trained before the tournament.

You accomplished something great after qualifying for the Olympic Games…

It’s a very important achievement, but there’s one game left; the gold medal game against Argentina tomorrow, and now we have to think about that.

Did you find greater competition than expected in the Americas?

It’s been good. The competition level of the teams made us play good defense, and that, I think, is what took us to another level. Anyway, we’re looking forward to progress.

Is there any difference between this team and the one that went to the Olympic Games in 2004?

Basically, I think we’re more disciplined right now. We also have more experience, something that really counts. We know how to win now and how international teams play; the differences between the international and NBA rules; it all adds up.

What do you think about the final against Argentina?

It’s going to be a hard game tomorrow. We’re going to try to win, because we didn’t come here to loose. Argentina is a good team, who’s been winning a lot the last summers. We have to be ready to defeat them.

Fabian Garcia
FIBA Americas